Strategy video game
Strategy video games are video games that focus on gameplay requiring careful and skillful thinking and planning in order to achieve victory. In most strategy video games, "the player is given a godlike view of the game world, indirectly controlling the units under his command". "The origin of strategy games is rooted in their close cousins, board games". Strategy games instantiated on computers generally take one of four archetypal forms, depending on whether the game is turn-based or real-time and whether the game's focus is upon military strategy or tactics. Sub-genres 4X :Main article: 4X game 4X refers to a genre of strategy video game with four primary goals: eXplore, eXpand, eXploit and eXterminate. A 4X game can be turn-based or real-time. Perhaps the best known example of this genre is Sid Meier's Civilization series. Artillery :Main article: Artillery game Artillery is the generic name for either early two or three-player (usually turn-based) computer games involving tanks fighting each other in combat or similar derivative games. Artillery games are among the earliest computer games developed; the theme of such games is an extension of the original uses of computer themselves, which were once used to calculate the trajectories of rockets and other related military-based calculations. Artillery games are a type of strategy game, though they have also been described as a "shooting game". Some examples include Gunbound, Scorched Earth, Tanarus and Gorillas.bas, programmed in QBasic Language. Grand strategy :Main article: Grand strategy game A grand strategy game, is a wargame that places focus on a war or series of wars, often over a long period of time. Individual units, even armies, may not be represented; instead, attention is given to theaters of operation. All of the resources of the nations involved may be mobilized as part of a long-term struggle. The simulation typically involves political and economic as well as military conflict. At the most extreme end of this is the branch of strategy games in which the player assumes the role of the government of an entire nation-state and in which not conducting war is a possibility. Some of the best examples of grand strategy computer games are Europa Universalis, Victoria: An Empire Under the Sun, and Hearts of Iron by Paradox Entertainment. The Total War games are usually included in this description as well (despite the fact that combat is one of the major features of the series). Real-time strategy Usually applied only to certain computer strategy games, the moniker "real-time strategy" (RTS) indicates that the action in the game is continuous, and players will have to make their decisions and actions within the backdrop of a constantly changing game state, and computer real-time strategy gameplay is characterised by obtaining resources, building bases, researching technologies and producing units. Very few non-computer strategy games are real-time; one example is Icehouse. Some players dispute the importance of Strategy in Real Time Strategy games, as skill and manual dexterity are often seen as the deciding factor in this genre of game. '' "A player controls hundreds of units, dozens of buildings and many different events that are all happening simultaneously. There is only one player, and he can only pay attention to one thing at a time. Expert players can quickly flip between many different tasks, while casual gamers have more problems with this." , Troy Dunniway. '' http://www.dunniwaydesign.com/rts_design.htm Ernest Adams goes so far as to suggest that real-time gameplay interferes with strategy. "Strategic thinking, at least in the arena of gameplay, does not lend itself well to real-time action". The game considered the father of RTS games is Dune II, by Westwood Studios, and was followed by their seminal Command & Conquer games. Cavedog's Total Annihilation (1997), Blizzard's Warcraft (1994) series, StarCraft (1998), and Ensemble Studios' Age of Empires (1997) series are some of the most popular RTS games. In addition, online games such as NukeZone can be considered belonging in this genre as well. Real-time tactics Sharing feature of the simulation and war game categories, real-time tactical computer game titles focus on operational aspects and control of warfare. Unlike in real-time strategy games, resource and economical management and building plays no part of the battle gameplay. Example titles include Warhammer: Dark Omen and the Close Combat series. Turn-based strategy The term "turn-based strategy game" (TBS) is usually reserved for certain computer strategy games, to distinguish them from real-time computer strategy games. A player of a turn-based game is allowed a period of analysis before committing to a game action. Examples of this genre are the Civilization, Heroes of Might and Magic and Master of Orion series. TBS games come in two flavors, differentiated by whether players make their plays simultaneously or take turns. The former types of games are called simultaneously-executed TBS games, with Diplomacy a notable example. The latter games fall into the player-alternated TBS games category, and are subsequently subdivided into (a) ranked, (b) round-robin start, and © random, the difference being the order under which players take their turns. With (a), ranked, the players take their turns in the same order every time. With (b), the first player is selected according to a round-robin policy. With ©, random, the first player is, of course, randomly selected. Almost all non-computer strategy games are turn-based; however, the personal computer game market trend has lately inclined more towards real-time games. Some recent games have mixed both real-time and turn-based elements together. In this game players are given 100 moves a day. Moves can be taken at anytime in that day whether or not other player have taken theirs. Turn-based tactics :Main article Turn-based tactics Turn-based tactical gameplay is characterized by the expectation of players to complete their tasks using only the combat forces provided to them, and usually by the provision of a realistic (or at least believable) representation of military tactics and operations. Examples of this genre are the Jagged Alliance and X-COM series, as well as tactical role-playing games such as the Final Fantasy Tactics series and Nippon Ichi games. Wargames Wargames are a subgenre of strategy video games that emphasize strategic or tactical warfare on a map. Wargames generally take one of four archetypal forms, depending on whether the game is turn-based or real-time and whether the game's focus is upon military strategy or tactics. References See also * List of strategy video games * Strategy game